Dallas City Hall move on the table as city weighs repair vs. relocation

DALLAS - Before the year is up, Dallas City Council members could vote on whether to move out of its iconic city hall building. The move could make way for the city's valuable land to be used for a new development next to the new convention center. 

Some design experts say tearing down this famed Dallas City Hall building would be like tearing down part of the city's history.

What they're saying:

Norman Alston is an architect who specializes in historic buildings and also serves as vice president of the city's urban peer review design panel.

"It is incomprehensible to me that we would think about tearing it down," said Alston.

"This is a statement building, by a statement architect in a city that was making a statement."

He said there is a story behind city hall's bold design. 

The backstory:

"In '63 Dallas was desperate to throw off the shame of the Kennedy assassination," said Alston.

Alston says this city hall building was the first step in a series of goals to make Dallas a modern city. 

"They wanted something modern and bold that is the shape right here. They wanted a place for the community to come together. That is the rationale for this huge plaza."

The city hired internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei, who also designed the Louvre Pyramid in Paris.

Dallas City Hall opened to the public only 47 years ago in 1978.

Local perspective:

Alston tells FOX 4 that the city hall building is built for forever.

"It doesn't have a shelf life," he said.

But Dallas City councilman Chad West, chair of the city's new finance committee, says the city's years of deferred maintenance are taking a toll. 

"Leaking bathrooms, major infrastructure, roof that needs to be replaced, the plaza is pulling away from city hall. Whenever it rains, fountains of water draining into the parking garage, all of that needs to be fixed," said West.

West says the cost is estimated to be between $50 million and $100 million. He admits there would be costs associated with a move as well, which could entail buying or leasing an office tower.

"We have to put all the heads in one room and figure it out fairly quickly. If our deferred maintenance bill is $100 million, is that something our taxpayers can sustain?"

These multiple acres next to the $3 billion dollar convention center project have become very valuable. 

But will Dallas City Council members today agree? 

"There are some places you have to draw that line. This is one of those places," said Alston.

What's next:

Dallas city staff will present the exact cost of the deferred maintenance at city hall at the finance committee meeting later this month. 

West says after that the city will need to make a decision quickly about whether to move out or invest in the repairs needed. 

He expects that vote to happen before the end of the year.